


The Mothman Did It! Or: Amehiko's Computer Lessons Go Off The Rails

by Mitsuboshi



Category: THE iDOLM@STER, THE iDOLM@STER: SideM
Genre: Comedy, Cross-branch idols appear, Gen, Legenders, Pretty dank tbh, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-20 12:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15534585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mitsuboshi/pseuds/Mitsuboshi
Summary: Amehiko decides to learn how to browse a computer with help from the rest of Legenders. However, his journey quickly goes down an unexpected route, as one twist after another subjects the unit to an absurdity beyond their comprehension.





	1. Egyptian God of Wisdom

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly don't expect much out of this fic. This is a completely self-indulgent fic made with my own dumb sense of humor, and vague inside jokes. Wrote this more for myself than anything else. But if you do find yourself liking it, that's cool.

Despite the immense need everyone had for computers, Amehiko Kuzunoha never once relied on one. Not just computers, but smartphones, tablets, and other devices which had become so entrenched in society at large. He never understood the fuss. They seemed more like a detriment to one’s well being than anything else. People had become so dependent on them; it was as if their lives would be short lived if they were pried away from these technological wonders.

He never needed such frivolous things. All he needed was his cleaning supplies, his wits, and the conviction to eliminate any filth that were to come his way.

Except, it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious. And today was the day where he would come fully face to face with the digital realm.

Opening up the slim, yet hefty case-like item, Amehiko pressed the top, circular button on the left side of the base -- one button among a myriad of other buttons. Once he pressed it, hot air began to blow out of a vent on the side, and a slight whining sound began to emerge from within. The upper part of the case began to glow dimly, and what looked like a symbol of some sort flashed into view. More strange noises were produced as the screen changed into a bright white, the symbol becoming the backdrop of a shimmering ocean in the sunset. The whole process had the former janitor mesmerized. Who knew starting up a computer provided such a spectacle.

“Okay, Amehiko-san,” Sora Kitamura, the youngest member of Legenders said. “It's all good to go.... Ready?”

“Ready,” he repeated affirmatively. “I'm in your hands, you two.”

“How exciting!” Chris Koron, their third member exclaimed. “It's as if we're about to embark on a familiar, yet new voyage! You'll be in awe at what you'll find in the ocean of data, Amehiko!”

It started out as a mere curiosity. Not so long ago, Amehiko asked his producer how to use the computer in the office. He had only a couple minutes to use it, but it left an impressionable experience nevertheless. He only scratched the surface that day... now he felt the need to explore further. To ‘dive into a new world’ as his ocean-minded friend would say.

Unfortunately, he hardly got a chance to have producer teach him more, their schedules being a constant obstacle. As producer had to attend to other manners, Amehiko decided to take things into his own hands. This time, he recruited the rest of Legenders to help him on his new journey. In the comfort of his own home, and with his fellow unit members at his side, he felt more than ready to navigate the world wide web.

“Koron, where’s the mouse?” Amehiko asked. The portable computer, or ‘laptop’ as it was called, belonged to Chris. A machine he used to store his research on the ocean and its wildlife. Amehiko recalled the device that allowed him to interact with a computer, but right now it wasn't present.

“Oh, I did not bring one,” Chris replied. “But it's not needed. Just use the drag-pad beneath the keyboard to move the cursor around.”

Perplexed, Amehiko looked down to find a small, square space with two rectangular buttons underneath. He inquisitively probed the square surface with his finger, and looked to see the white arrow on the screen move slightly.

“Amazing,” the eldest member of the group marveled. “That's a handy feature.”

Sora couldn't help but giggle at Amehiko’s reaction. “It's easier to have everything in one place, since it is supposed to be portable. Now... I guess we can have you open up the web browser. You remember how to do that?”

“Yeah,” Amehiko replied. He dragged the arrow over to the appropriate icon. “It was this one, right?”

Sora nodded. “That's the one. Now click on it. It's the button below the drag-pad.”

Just as instructed, Amehiko pressed one of the rectangle buttons. But instead of opening up the web browser, a small menu appeared by the icon. Perplexed, he was about to ask what it was, but Sora quickly moved to correct him.

“Ah, I guess I should mention. Click on the icon using the _left_ button, Amehiko-san.”

“Oh, so that's how it is,” he instead pressed on the proper button, the menu disappeared, but it did not summon the browser....

“You have to double click it to bring it up,” Sora added.

Amehiko pressed the button again, and followed it up with another press a second after. Yet still nothing.

“Tap it twice really fast....”

With the third attempt, the internet browser came into existence, and bringing them to a white screen with the words ‘GOOGLE’ displayed in colorful letters.

“Geez, Amehiko-san,” Sora couldn't help but sigh. “I didn't expect teaching you to be more of a challenge than it already is....”

“Now, now, Sora,” Chris chided. “We all have to start somewhere. We did not become proper idols without taking many first steps.”

“That’s true... but....”

“Don't worry about me,” Amehiko chuckled. “I'm sure this old man can get familiar with it in no time. So, what now?”

“You mainly want to know how to browse the web, right?” Sora asked as he leaned towards the laptop. “Basically you'll want to use a search engine like Google to look up stuff. You at least remember how to use the keyboard... right?”

“Ah, of course.” Oddly enough, such difficult inputs stuck to his memory. “How about I... ‘Google’ something? That's what it's called, right?”

“Well... you're not exactly wrong....” The young poet said with slight hesitation. He couldn't help but feel like this would be a long day.

At a pace of almost one character per minute, Amehiko typed out something in the search bar. Both Sora and Chris wondered what he could be looking up at first, but they quickly realized what he had typed:

_Amehiko Kuzunoha_

“You're looking up your own name?” Chris asked in surprise.

“Thought it would be an interesting ‘Google’,” Amehiko admitted. In almost an instant, the search brought up several results, including some pictures of not just him, but the other Legenders members, too.

“Oho,” his eyes widened slightly at the information before him. He clicked on one of the images, which grew in size and offered a better view. “This is from one of our events.”

“Naturally a lot of things about our work are uploaded on the web,” Sora spoke a matter-of-factly. “We even have Wikipedia articles about ourselves.”

“Wee-keepedia?” Amehiko tried to process the word.

“An online encyclopedia,” Chris added. “Users can upload and edit articles about a variety of things! You can look up facts about the ocean and all its wonderful creatures! It is such a fascinating tool! Although don't rely on it as your only source of info.”

“So things like that exist too? Incredible.” Amehiko moved the arrow down to the side of the browser, moving the grey, vertical bar down to see more of the search results. Out of curiosity, he clicked on one in English, and after the page loaded, he was brought to a website that was almost entirely English itself.

“People in the West are talking about us? I wonder what they’re saying.... Koron, can you read any of this?”

Chris brought himself closer, looking over what seemed to be an English message board. Studying one of the comments, he began to translate it as best he could.

“ _I wish I can see Amehiko and the rest of Legenders in Japan..._ ” Chris’ eyes grew bright with happiness. “How touching!”

“ _Sending all their hope. Reaching across the vast seas. One fan’s only wish,”_ Sora recited the haiku he crafted effortlessly. “It's easy to forget that we have fans in other countries,” he mused. ”Still, it's nice to know they exist~”

“Indeed,” Amehiko added. The fact that their music was able to reach people in far away lands was a stunning concept. Yet even if they did not speak the same language as them, that did not stop their foreign fans from trying to support their idols. And to think this was but a tiny sliver of what the internet was capable of.

“Any other interesting comments about us?”

Chris scanned over the webpage, but one post in particular made him squint in confusion. “This one is odd....”

Amehiko couldn't help but be curious. “What is it?”

“This person says that you... _made their wig get snatched._ ”

“I did what?” Amehiko asked in surprise. He had no memory of taking away someone’s wig, especially not from someone far, far away. Who would be so low as to do something like that? “Sure you're reading that right?”

“I could be missing some context, but I cannot say for sure,” Chris answered, still scrolling through comments, each one having its own flavor of strange. “Another person said you were skinny, that our Ice Kingdom event _‘made them shook’_ , but this one comment here... it says: _Amehiko is such a thot_.”

“Thot?”

Chris simply shrugged. “It is not a word I'm familiar with. Do you have any idea, Sora?”

“Why are you asking me?” He questioned. “I haven't heard the word before either.”

“Whatever it means,” Chris continued. “I see it shows up several times when Amehiko is mentioned. And... Ijuin-san?”

“Him too?” Amehiko wondered what a ‘thot’ could possibly refer to. The internet surely provided a window into another culture alright. Yet somehow it didn't sound like a bad term. “I’m sure it's nothing harmful. They're probably using it as a form of praise.”

“I don't know...” Sora sounded hesitant. “Why do I get the feeling that it's far from being a compliment...?”

“Hm... my knowledge about Egyptian deities is extremely lacking,” Chris began. “But maybe it's just a misspelling of ‘Thoth’? The Egyptian god of wisdom? You can be pretty wise, Amehiko.”

Sora shook his head. “No, I don't think-”

“Wise, huh?” Amehiko cut him off. “You might have solved the mystery, Koron. Although I wouldn't claim I'm the wisest out there. Sorry, what were you going to say, Kitamura?”

“....Nevermind."

 

* * *

 

 

After a few mundane searches, Sora and Chris left Amehiko to navigate the web by himself. The cleaner wanted to do some browsing without guidance, and told them that he would request for assistance if he ran into a problem. For now, the other two members of Legenders went outside to give him some space.

“Seeing Amehiko learn a new skill is quite exciting,” Chris said as he paced about restlessly. “Reminds me of when I started out as an assistant. New challenges were always on the horizon. So much to learn, too! I imagine it must be the same way for him as well.”

“I guess,” Sora murmured. “Although... are you sure it was a good idea to leave him alone for a bit? You put all your research on that laptop, don't you? Aren't you worried that he might mess something up?”

“Nonsense!” Chris exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air. It was probably about ten minutes since they left Amehiko by himself. He couldn't have done much within that time frame. “Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I believe Amehiko is starting to further grasp the fundamentals.”

“You sure?” the younger man didn't seemed convinced. It might have not been long, but he couldn't help but be concerned. “I'm going to go back inside. Just in case.”

With not much else to do, Chris simply tagged along with Sora as he went back into the Kuzunoha residence. By the time they returned, they discovered Amehiko with his brows furrowed. As if studying a great puzzle. Chris briskly moved towards his friend, wishing to see what had him at odds.

“You look troubled, Amehiko. What is it that I can--”

He stopped mid-sentence, a provocative scene on the computer screen making his jaw drop. Positioned in the center of a black screen was what looked like a chat window, with the picture of a scantily clad woman right next to it. On the chat window, the woman had typed out a message, reading: “ _Hello bad boy. What are you up to tonight?”_

_“_ Oh, Koron. Good timing,” Amehiko said. His tone wasn't troubled or shocked by the current predicament in front of him. “I wanted to ask you about this.”

“A-A-A-Amehiko!” Chris stuttered uncontrollably. “What did you do!?”

“So I saw the link to this website about astrology, but all of a sudden many websites started flashing in the screen. And before I knew it, this woman started talking to me. I want to tell her I’m not interested, but I don't know how to reply.”

“Um... Amehiko-san,” Sora spoke in absence of Chris, who was currently too dumbstruck to say a word. Although he himself looked out of sorts, casting his eyes away at the screen. “This person isn't real. I'm not sure what you clicked on, but this is a pop-up ad for um....”

“For what?”

“A vile thing!” Chris abruptly shouted. He moved his finger over the drag-pad, and quickly smashed the exit button on the tab. “It is like the dwelling of a giant squid! If you enter, it's great tentacles will ensnare you and drag you down into the darkness of the deep!”

Amehiko seemed more perplexed than ever at the reaction, but he at least got an idea. “So it's like a trick. Good thing you two came just in time to save me.”

“J-just be careful about where you end up clicking....” Sora advised.

Although they escaped the seductive webpage, another strange one had taken its place.

“ _Congratulations_ ...” Amehiko read the words of the web page aloud. It was a large, golden banner that flashed on the screen, a giant cruise ship featured prominently. “ _You have instantly won a cruise to Hawaii... click here to claim your prize_.... Astounding, Koron. Seems too good to be true.”

“That's because it is...” Sora pointed out, quickly closing the page. “These ads are scams, Amehiko-san.”

“Huh...” Amehiko pondered, stroking his chin. “Another deception? Seems the web can be really dangerous, too.” With one ad closed, another had surfaced, it's words too intriguing for Amehiko to look away. “ _Dermatologists hate him... She is 77, looks 17...._ If I had to guess, this is also...?”

Sora just nodded as he closed the page.

“Like the ocean, one must be careful on how they navigate the vast web,” Chris added, taking control from Sora and closed the entire browser, intending to wipe out seventeen tabs of ads at once. The page froze from the sheer amount of tabs it was attempting to close. How Amehiko managed to open so many was a mystery. “Just make sure you don't click on anything suspicious.”

“Heh, relax,” Amehiko brushed him off. “I’m usually pretty cautious. But I'll keep my guard up now that I know digital filth exists too.”

“Indeed. You will never know what could be lurking--”

Once again Chris found himself speechless. By the time the browser had fully vanished, it revealed that the beautiful ocean he had set as his desktop background was gone. In its place, a blown-up, pixelated picture of what looked like a frog head graced the screen.

“M-my desktop....” Chris choked out. “T-the ocean has....”

Meanwhile Sora immediately recognized the image.

“Wait... isn't this Kaeru? The frog mascot?”

“Ah, that. I was looking at images of other idols in our production,” Amehiko recalled. “I was going over some of Pierre, but I must have clicked on the wrong button earlier. Still, being able to easily change your computer’s image is quite a power. Computers are more terrifying than I thought.”

As Chris was left stunned by his new wallpaper, Sora let out a soft groan. No denying it now. This was truly gonna be a long day.


	2. Amehiko Has A Niece, Didn't You Know?

It was only an hour and a half since they began their learning session, but already it felt like a day's worth. Shortly after the debacle with pop-up ads and low resolution Kaeru desktop backgrounds, Amehiko excused himself from the living room, saying he had much to think about. It provided a good opportunity at least for Sora and Chris, the latter restoring the previous wallpaper and frantically checking to make sure his anti-virus was working.

“I expected it would be of low risk for him to use my device,” Chris said, running a virus scan to ensure that Amehiko’s antics didn't infest his laptop. “But I was not aware he could be capable of such damage! I still have a plethora of old research here that I've yet to backup. My studies on beluga whales could be lost forever if I'm not careful.”

“I shouldn't feel that worried since it's you that has more to lose,” Sora admitted bluntly, leaning his body back on the couch. “But I'm concerned about Amehiko-san. I don't think I've seen anyone that computer illiterate before.”

Before this all started, Sora considered teasing him a little with his computer lessons. But so far Amehiko’s own blunders outdid anything he could have done. “Although... maybe we shouldn't be too surprised. He can be behind the times, after all~”

“True his skills are lacking,” Chris conceded. After he confirmed that nothing harmful made its way into his system, the former oceanographer breathed easier. “But it can be overwhelming to find yourself in a strange, foreign land. Sora, we must do all we can to guide him on the right path.”

Despite all the panic he had been subjected to, Sora was impressed to find Chris didn't seem upset or angry. The man may ramble about the ocean more often than he liked, but he had to admire the patience he possessed to put up with Amehiko’s mistakes. Anyone else would probably be past their limit by now, and even he felt like his own will power to continue was being tested.

But Chris was right. They couldn't just abandon their unit leader and friend.

“Fufu... it almost feels like we're babysitting him,” Sora commented. “We just have to keep a close eye on him then, Chris-san~”

Shortly after, Amehiko made his way back into the room. His expression looked highly thoughtful, no doubt much was on his mind after learning first hand about the internet’s perils.

“Sorry for waiting,” he said, standing at the doorway with arms crossed. “After much thinking, I've come to a conclusion about the internet.”

“Oh?” Sora’s interest was piqued. “And that would be?”

“Now that I know dirty tricks like from before exist, there seems to be a ‘dark side’ lurking underneath the digital surface. Fortunately you two prevented me from being tricked. But I'm confident others out there aren't so lucky. Who knows how many shady schemes go around in there... or the amount of people who fall victim to them. So, that’s why I would like to go deeper and explore the internet’s black heart.”

“Internet’s black heart...?” Chris repeated the words, as if they were in a strange language. Would fit right at home if they came out of Asselin. “I'm sorry, Amehiko, but I do not know what you mean by that.”

“No need to worry,” Amehiko held out his hand in assurance. “I feel like I've troubled you two enough as it is.”

Sora looked at him in confusion. “That's... considerate of you, Amehiko-san. But it's no trouble if we keep helping you out.”

“For this, it's not necessary,” he continued to decline their offer. “In fact, there’s someone I know who is knowledgeable about the ‘dark side of the web’. Someone in my family that, you could say, has more than once wandered deep through it. I called them several minutes ago, but they should be here any moment now to lend a hand.”

“A family member?” Sora asked. No offense to Amehiko’s family, but he couldn't see a lot of them being a wellspring of internet knowhow, given how old fashioned they seemed. Before he could ask further, Amehiko’s aunt appeared behind her nephew.

“Amehiko,” the older woman said. “She has arrived.”

“Ah, good timing,” Amehiko responded with a grin. “I was just talking about her.”

As his aunt retreated from the hallway, both Chris and Sora had the same question on their minds.

“ _Her?”_

They would get their answer as a new, smaller figure peaked their head out of the door frame. Her left eye was covered by long bangs, leaving a single red eye to stare at them eerily. She moved further into view, and they could see she wore a navy blue sweater with oversized sleeves. A small frown was on her face, her expression one of nervousness.

“H-hello...” the small girl greeted meekly.

“Yo,” Amehiko responded, giving her a curt wave. He looked down at her with a smile, the height difference too hard to ignore. “Thanks for coming today.”

“It's okay... I wanted to help. That girl said... I should help you as well.”

“Heh, did she now?” Amehiko asked in amusement. “Well, can't say I'm not flattered.” He turned his gaze back towards his friends, ready to introduce their new arrival.

“Kitamura, Koron. This is my niece, Koume. She's here to assist me in exploring the dark parts of the web.”

“Nice to meet you... everyone,” Koume herself said softly, slowly moving closer inside the living room.

While Chris seemed to be dumbfounded, Sora picked up on a certain fact. “Wait... Koume? As in, Koume Shirasaka? You don't mean the idol from 346 Production, do you?”

“Yeah, she's the one.” Amehiko confirmed casually.

Koume herself kept silent, but her sudden presence raised a lot more questions. Amehiko never mentioned he had a niece. Or that anyone else in his family was an idol, and such a prominent figure in the industry to boot. As Sora tried to wrap his brain around the mystery, he remembered that Koume was known to be a horror-type idol, with people claiming that the young girl could see spirits. If she was indeed spiritually attuned, then the idea of her being related to the Kuzunoha family started to seem less absurd.

“Guess it's better not to press further...” he told himself, then shifted his sights on Koume as he gave a smile. “Nice to meet you, Koume-chan. I'm Sora Kitamura.”

“G-greetings! And I am Chris Koron!” He broke out of his stupor and gave a warm welcome. “Shirasaka-san, it is an honor that you lend us your time. If Amehiko trusts you, then surely you have a lot to teach him.”

“Well... I'm no expert....” Koume admitted. “But... I'll do my best.”

Amehiko chuckled at her. “Don't sell yourself short, Koume. Sometimes you’re more capable than this old timer.” Whatever their relationship was, it was apparent that he had solid confidence in the young girl. As she gave a small smile, suddenly something caused her to give pause.

“Oh...!” Koume pulled out something from her hoodie pocket, and handed it to Amehiko. “I almost forgot but... I have that signature for Minori-san.”

“Ah! Watanabe-san will be very grateful for this. Thank you,” he said, holding up a small board with Koume’s signature on it. Out of all the odd questions looming over them, Sora and Chris needn't bother asking about _that_.

“Now with that aside,” Amehiko began, putting away the board and clasping his fingers together. “Let's start, shall we?”

They all moved back towards the laptop, Koume taking a seat on the couch while the rest of Legenders crowded around her. Even if she was simply a child, Chris’ heart felt at ease with her at the helm. Children of her generation were already masters of technology, at least compared to someone like Amehiko. Now he didn't need to worry about his laptop bursting into flames for some reason. Yet he wondered just what ‘dark parts’ of the web would they explore.

“ _I only hope they don't visit anymore strange websites,”_ he thought to himself. But as he observed their guest, he put the thought on hold for the time being, something new catching his attention. As Koume typed on the search engine, the three men noticed something... peculiar.

“Koume-chan....” Sora began to ask. He was most intrigued out of all of them. “How are you able to type with those sleeves over your hands?”

“Hm?” The girl stopped typing, looking down at the long sleeves spread across the keyboard. She looked back at Sora with slight confusion. “I always type like this....”

“We see that...” Chris said a little nervously. “But how can you form words so well with something as obstructing as your sleeves?”

Koume remained silent, deep in thought about that very question as she examined her concealed hands. Then, she shook her head. “I'm not sure... I just can.”

The answer didn't satisfy their curiosities, but they had a hunch that pressing about it too much would be fruitless. She probably got asked this question from others before. “Don't worry about it,” Sora relented. “Just continue what you were doing.”

Without words, her (mysterious) typing resumed, bringing up a website with a black background with a banner titled: _The Other Side_. Neither Chris nor Sora knew of it, looking perplexed by the mysterious site while Amehiko just observed patiently. It appeared to be a simple forum, although the graphics of specters and skeletons scattered all over the site gave it a rather spooky feeling.

“Here we are... ehehe...” A giggle escaped from Koume, giving Chris the chills.

“W-what sort of website could this be?” He asked anxiously. Koume turned to face the group, this time an ominous grin on her face.

“A website hidden from the normal world.... People come here to talk about ghosts... And zombies, and monsters,” as she continued explaining, she started to sound more and more excited. “They also talk about... Paranormal events they experienced. It's really fun.... Really, really fun...!”

While he wasn't about to run away in terror, Chris gulped as his skin was crawling with goosebumps. Concerning rumors about websites buried in the darkest corners reached his ear, but he never investigated them for himself. Now this girl just reeled one out of the murky depths, and laid it bare for them to see. He had frequented (and sometimes provided for) forums about the ocean and marine life. But who knew what sort of bizarre and fright inducing discussions they had on this site. Was she even old enough to view such contents? Amehiko kept quiet, but Sora opened his mouth to say something.

“You probably like this site a lot, huh Koume-chan,” he said with a slightly apprehensive smile. “Although... I'm not sure this is what Amehiko-san was looking for.”

Koume looked at him puzzlingly. “Hm?”

“Well...” Sora tried to piece together a proper answer. It seemed like Amehiko and Koume's definition of ‘the darkness of the Internet’ differed greatly. “Amehiko-san wanted to learn more about viruses and scams on the web, so this--”

“One moment, Kitamura.”

He stopped immediately when Amehiko broke his silence. “Huh?”

From the expression on his face, the older man seemed very intrigued, leaning a little closer as the website had him captivated. “I wasn't aware that there was a place to discuss and report otherworldly phenomena. How interesting. Koume, could you show me some of these findings?”

The young girl nodded happily as she started navigating the forum, leaving Amehiko’s unit members caught off guard by the shift in priorities.

“Hold on, didn't you want to discover the ‘filth of the internet’ just a minute ago?” Sora asked incredulously.

“Of course I do,” Amehiko affirmed. “I'm sure there's plenty of filth to go around. However... Koume seems excited to share this with us. And I admit, this captures my interest as well. A couple minutes of reading wouldn't hurt. I can even learn a thing or two from this.”

“Here, Amehiko-san...” Koume spoke up as she clicked on a topic. Sora and Chris were just left in stunned silence. “This one... it's been really popular lately... A lot of people are talking about it.”

Let’s see,” the cleaner enthusiastically looked over the topic title. “Mothman, huh? Show me more....”

 

* * *

 

“Your nephew is definitely a strange one...” Sora mumbled to Amehiko’s aunt. She passed him a cup of tea as he sat at the kitchen counter.

“Oh? And you're only finding that out now?” She asked with a sly smile. “You've been together for a long time already, have you not?”

“True... I guess there's still room for him to surprise me.”

He stuck around long enough to know more about the mothman before realizing his presence was not needed. Even after leaving the living room for a bit, no doubt Amehiko and Koume continued to read about scary, mysterious creatures and their supposed sightings. Even Chris seemed enthralled by some of the otherworldly posts they encountered. He had to hand it to Koume at least: even if Amehiko's computer lessons took some strange turns, she did manage to put him through a mild course. The fact that he couldn’t hear Chris screaming in panic from the other room meant so far so good. Just how long would they spend looking through that forum though?

“Ah! There you are, Sora!”

The young man turned around to see Chris had entered the kitchen. Speaking of the devil.

“You've been away for awhile, so I decided to see where you had gone. Is everything alright?”

“I'm fine...” he replied softly. “Just thirsty, that's all. Plus nothing much for us to do now that they're busy reading about spooky stuff.”

“If you're frightened, I can hold your hand while we're there,” Chris suggested.

“No thank you,” Sora waved his hand dismissively.

Chris didn't show any offense to the blunt answer, and continued talking. “Some of the things they are reading about aren't particularly frightening at all. Actually, some of it is quite fascinating!”

“Really? How?”

“Right now, I guess people all over the world have been talking about creatures in American folklore, specifically West Virginia. Amehiko and Shirasaka-san were reading about something known as the ‘Beast of Grafton’, a large hulking monster with no head and seal-like skin. That last detail is leading me to believe that the Beast of Grafton might actually be aquatic in nature! I asked Shirasaka-san if she could bring up this possibility on her account some time, or I could join there myself and give my own hypothesis once I gather more--”

“Please, Chris-san,” Sora interrupted before taking another sip of tea. “If your fans see you post stuff up on there, your writing will scare them away more than some giant monster.”

“But can you imagine?” He continued eagerly. “Our planet has countless organisms, and many more remain hidden within the depths. Perhaps the monsters of old are actually just unique wildlife lurking in an undiscovered world!”

Sora resigned from saying anything further, resting his head down on his arms. Stopping Chris’ passion was like trying to stop nature itself. As he slowly droned out his voice, he began to pick up something faintly in the background.

“... **_lmost heav.... ...est Virginia....”_ **

Sora’s eyes widened, straightening himself back up at the noise. “Chris-san! Stop talking! Do you hear that?”

Chris immediately paused, confused over what Sora was talking about. He strained his ear, eventually picking up the faint noise too.

**_“...ger than th... ...mountains, blo....”_ **

“I can hear it!” he confirmed, trying to listen more closely. “It must be coming from the living room. It sounds like... music?”

As the two men tried to make sense of the noise, the older Kuzunoha woman began to leave. “Oh dear,” she remarked to herself. “I sense this doesn't bode well for all of you.”

Sora and Chris exited the kitchen themselves, making their way towards the living room as the music got louder and louder.

**_“...untry roads, take me home. To the place, I belooooong!”_ **

They finally entered the room, everything loud and clear as they saw Amehiko and Koume still on the couch. The music was definitely coming from Chris’ laptop, an old, country sounding song in English. Something about West Virginia, and mountain mamas. But the meaning behind the lyrics wasn't what had them stumped. Approaching the laptop, they were curious to see what they were looking at. No way did they meander so quickly from monsters to country music. But taking a peak at the screen yielded nothing.

Literally.

"Uh... Amehiko-san, Koume-chan,” Sora began. The song had finished playing, but promptly restarted itself a second later. “Why is the computer screen off? More importantly, what and why is this song playing?”

“That's what we're trying to figure out ourselves,” Amehiko replied, looking quite stumped.

“Just a minute ago, we... we were reading about a haunting in an abandoned mineshaft,” Koume explained meekly. “But... all of a sudden the screen... went blank....”

“And then this song began to play,” the former janitor finished.

Without a word, Chris quickly moved closer and pressed the power button. Nothing. He pressed it again, but to no success; the screen still failed to light up. With slight frown, he held down the button, hoping to just restart the whole thing. But once the standard ten seconds had passed, nothing changed. No matter what he tried, the machine refused to come to life. And all the while, the same country song still played among them.

“N-no way....” Chris’ face began turning pale. “My laptop.... what has happened to it!? My research!”

“I-I’m sorry... It's my fault,” Koume apologized. She casted her gaze downward, that usual frown more prominent on her face. “I was just... trying to share more fun things... I didn’t mean to....”

“Easy, Koume,” Amehiko reassured calmly. “I'm sure you're not to blame.”

“I wouldn't worry about it, Koume-chan,” Sora did his best to ease up the situation.

Still, just how did Chris’ laptop freeze up like that? It had to be turned on still if that country music was being played through it. He consider the possibility that Amehiko could have clicked on a suspicious link again, but Koume was with him, and Sora had faith that she was way more sensible to prevent him from making that mistake. Not to mention Chris had been present for the most part, and he'd be the first to safeguard his computer against even the smallest threats. Then again, he wouldn't put it past Amehiko to somehow stumble into digital trouble once more. Even if he didn't realize it himself.

“Chris-san, why don't you try to remove the battery?” He suggested. “That should shut that music off for good at least.”

“No way can I do that!” Chris opposed. “Suddenly removing the power source while it is still on might damage the laptop! I cannot risk such a thing! Still... what do we do....?”

His distraught tone tapered off into one of total helplessness. Countless amounts of data was recorded onto this trusted piece of hardware, research that helped shape further understanding of the ocean’s wonders. How foolish, he thought, to not have stored these sacred documents elsewhere. Now they were trapped, a prisoner within the laptop. At risk of being lost forever.

The reality made him fall back down on the couch. It seemed like his soul left his body. No one else in the room could give him the answers he sought, until Amehiko offered his own input.

“Hm... no way I do have the skills to fix Koron’s computer. However, I remember Producer called up someone when they had computer problems at the office. I think this person was an ‘IT’.

“IT...” Sora repeated, although he sounded skeptical. They seemed more suited for managing complex computer systems. Not... whatever was happening to Chris’ laptop. “I don't know if they're the exact fit for this kind of job.”

“They must be if Producer relied on them so much,” Amehiko insisted. “Koume, know anyone who's an IT by chance?”

“IT... IT....” Koume pondered on the question for a good moment. Then her face lit up when she arrived at an answer. “Ah! I think... there might be one. Not far from here. Maybe... _he_ knows something....”

“Then it's decided!” Amehiko proclaimed, rising from his seat. His face set in determination on their next goal. “Let's go to this IT fellow and see if we can sort this mess out. Let's get going, everyone.”

With a simple nod, Koume grabbed the laptop from the still despondent Chris and followed Amehiko as he exited the living room. Sora meanwhile helped his unit member back on his feet, and guided him out. Walking out the door of the Kuzunoha residence, they hoped it would be a short, simple fix.

Only, they would find that fixing their predicament would be far from simple.


	3. This Is The Part Where All My Tantou Show Up, So Good Luck Reading This If You're Not Familiar With All The Other Characters Introduced Here

The quartet of idols made a short walk down the street, Koume leading the way as she held the malfunctioning laptop close to her chest. Chris kept mumbling to himself worriedly, mentioning things about orca documents, while Amehiko and Sora paid it no mind and just let the young girl guide them.

Meanwhile, that country song kept playing itself over and over as they made their way along. Sora couldn't help but wonder if they were making too much of a disturbance in the neighborhood. Even the volume buttons weren't responding, and they had no real way of keeping it quiet. Lucky that no one seemed to be walking around the area. Hopefully this ‘IT’ person could actually lend a helping hand. No way did he expect these computer lessons to bend further into bizarre territory.

“Something feels off...” Amehiko said suddenly.

Sora looked to see the man’s brows were furrowed, his face almost mystified. “Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“It might be nothing,” he claimed, although his tone suggested he wasn't so sure himself. “Still....”

He fell silent again, leaving Sora to question what was going on in Amehiko’s head. Their unit leader always had a penchant for saying ominous and vague things at times. It could just be easily dismissed. But whatever the mystery behind his thoughts, Sora hoped that his hunch was just that: a hunch, and not a prelude to something more troublesome down the road.

“ _The sooner we get this computer fixed, the better,”_ he thought to himself.

“I think... right here,” Koume signaled to Legenders. They all halted by the side of the street, but to their surprise, they didn't find any shop, or houses for that matter.

“Say, Koume,” Amehiko looked around, trying to catch sight of where this IT person could reside. “Are you certain we're in the right place?”

“Mm... I'm actually not entirely sure, but... that girl said we could find _him_ here.”

After speaking, she proceeded to crouch down by a storm drain. The three men watched in puzzlement at what Koume was possibly doing, but soon enough, she outstretched the laptop, leaning in closer as she diligently inserted the device into the thin opening. Amehiko and Sora just looked on in shock, but the sight sent Chris into overdrive as he erratically waved his hands all over the place.

“S-STOP!” He cried out before Koume could drop his ailing laptop in the sewers.“STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOOOOOP! Shirasaka-san! What are you doing!?”

She didn't understand his panic. “This is where _IT_ resides... I thought we needed his help, so... I was just going to drop it in here to give it to him....”

While Amehiko remained lost through the whole ordeal, Sora started to put two and two together. “Um, Koume-chan... what we're looking for is an 'Information Technology’ expert. Not _that_ kind of IT.”

Realizing her misinterpretation, Koume retracted the laptop from the storm drain, standing up and giving the noise making machine back to a relieved Chris. “Sorry... _he’s_ not the one you're looking for... but, I don't know who can fix it then....”

“I-it’s quite alright, Shirasaka-san,” Chris said, attempting to get a grip in spite of the misunderstanding. “I still appreciate the effort. Even if....”

“Now that’s troubling,” Amehiko remarked, putting a hand on his chin. If there were a great number of cleaners in this world, surely there had to be a good amount of computer experts lurking about. But where? “Just who can we find to fix Koron’s laptop?”

“Excuse me....”

A soft voice came from behind. They all turned around to find a girl standing close by. Her short, light lavender hair and near-expressionless face was the most striking thing about her. She also had a school uniform on, odd considering it was a Sunday today. They didn't know why, but she seemed kind of familiar.

“You all look lost. Do you need directions?” She asked in a rather monotonous tone. She waited patiently for an answer, examining the group as Sora spoke up.

“No, we're fine, thank you,” he insisted politely, hoping that the country music wasn't giving her any weird ideas. To his surprise, the girl suddenly gave a sigh of relief, almost like a great weight had been lifted from her.

“Oh good... truth be told, I'm not familiar with the area, so I was worried about offering directions,” the girl explained. If she was really nervous, she didn't show it. “Actually, I must admit. I've been wandering around so much, that I don't even know where I am right now.”

Sora blinked in disbelief. “So... you're the one who's lost?”

The girl gave him a thumbs up. “Correct.”

“That so...” he let out slowly. He hoped she wouldn't ask them to guide her around. It was bad enough that the music wouldn't stop. Guiding a stranger while it played perpetually would just exacerbate the problem. “I'm sorry. We can point you in the right direction, wherever that is, but unfortunately we can't walk you there. There's a problem with our friend’s laptop, and we're trying to get it fixed.”

“Wait... could that be what's playing _Take Me Home, Country Roads_?”

They all looked at her in amazement. “You know what song is being played?” Chris asked.

“Mhm. _Take Me Home, Country Roads_ ,” she repeated. “Or _Country Roads_ for short, by John Denver. It's been quite popular lately.” A small smile broke through her aloofness, as if proud of knowing that fact.

“Has it...?” Clearly this was going nowhere, Sora decided. “Anyway, where are you trying to go?”

“Oh. I'm supposed to meet with my friends. We have a special mission we were supposed to do. Unfortunately my phone battery has died, so I can't call and find where they are. Although....”

She trailed off, gazing upon the laptop. Her eyes studied it with careful scrutiny, the continuing music and her silence soon became a little uncomfortable for the group. Before anyone could ask what was the matter, she nodded her head and delivered a flat, yet dramatic declaration.

“As I thought. Your laptop is cursed by the mothman.”

The group gasped, albeit Koume’s face glowed with excitement.

“R-really!?” She asked eagerly. “Is it really, really him!?”

“I knew something was up,” Amehiko said, eyes narrowing. “Right under our noses this whole time?”

“H-hold it!” Chris cut in. “Surely there must be an explanation to this. In no way can my laptop be cursed!”

“I'm going with Chris-san on this one,” Sora agreed. He managed to absorb a pretty decent amount of info regarding this creature earlier, but he never read about it ever cursing someone's computer. “How is it that a monster from American superstition be capable of doing that? And why would he decide to do it all the way out here?”

“It's a new urban legend I heard from my classmates. A friend who plays video games tells me that others have experienced this as well,” the girl explained. “I actually came here to investigate him myself. When the mothman curses your computer... it will freeze and play _Country Roads_ repeatedly. For a total of seventy six times, to be precise. Once it reaches that number of plays... your computer will start up again. But then, through it, you will start to receive a message from him.”

“I-it can't be... ” Chris choked out, quite dumbstruck and unable to grasp the words behind this myth. The life in him had drained once again. Meanwhile, Amehiko remained alert, Koume fidgeted with joy, and Sora simply shook his head.

“Right...” the young man said. Out of all the mysteries and superstitions in the world, that had to be one of the silliest things he ever heard. Koume might appear to be buying into it, but no way could any reasonable adult believe a story like that.

“Looks like we don't need an IT after all. We’ll have to take this into our own hands.”

....Apparently Amehiko did.

“Hold on, Amehiko-san,” Sora tried to convince him. “You don't really think the computer is cursed, do you?”

“There's no denying it,” he remained unswayed. “It's hard to tell when it comes to machinery like that... but whatever this feeling is, it isn't natural, that's for sure. And you know I can't turn a blind eye to any sort of filth. It's our job --my job-- to scrub it out of Koron’s laptop.”

His words carried a serious conviction, quite inspiring if they didn't sound so ridiculous. “You there,” Amehiko pointed at the girl. “What's your name?”

The girl put a hand on her chest, ready to signify who she was. “Mizuki Makabe.”

“Makabe, Amehiko Kuzunoha,” he introduced himself in turn. “The little one is Koume Shirasaka, the young man here is Sora Kitamura, and the man currently out of it is Chris Koron.”  

Everyone but the latter gave a brief greeting. Chris simply gave a weak wave.

“It must be fate that we found each other,” Amehiko continued. “Tell me, do you know how to repel curses?”

She shook her head. “I'm afraid not... but, I can twirl a baton and do magic tricks.”

Amehiko shrugged. “Oh well. Regardless, seems you know more about this curse than any of us. Would you aid us in removing it?”

“Hm...” Mizuki retreated into deep thought. A sudden proposal by an elusive cleaner wasn't something to agree to on a whim. After a couple of seconds, she made her decision. “I still need to search for my friends... however, if we can find a place to charge my phone, maybe we can assist each other. How is that?”

“Fine by me,” Amehiko agreed with a smile. “My home isn't too far from here. It's in the building of a cleaning company. You can charge your device over there while we tackle this curse.”

“I understand,” she said with a nod. Although she looked a bit cautious. “However... I’m hesitant to come along to your home. Normally I wouldn't go with strangers... especially those of odd character.”

“I know we might seem odd, but don't worry, you can trust us,” Sora said. If they got past the nonsensical ‘curse’ as the main reason here, they could at least help her out by getting her phone powered up.

“Amehiko-san is very kind...” Koume added. “He wouldn't do anything bad... I promise....”

“Then it's decided,” Mizuki’s mind didn't appear to need a lot of convincing. Probably hearing it from Koume made her more at ease. “I will go with you.”

With that settled, the now larger group began their trek back to the Kuzunoha residence. If there was an actual curse, Sora thought, then it was the string of events that seemed to come one after another. Only god knew where this would take them next.

 

* * *

 

“....Still can't get a hold of her.”

With a dejected sigh, Makoto Kikuchi swung her arm down, fingers still gripping her phone as she looked at her surroundings. This was the 3rd attempt to contact her fellow idol, but so far the lack of a decent signal made most of her calling attempts fail. And during the times she could get a call through, she was met with a ‘number not available’ message. The latest try fell under that category.

“Mizuki,” she groaned. “Where can you be?”

“Seriously, that Mizuki-san....” Behind Makoto, Momoko Suou huffed at the situation. She placed her hands on her hip, a vexed look on the younger girl’s face while they stood in their planned meeting spot. Although she proved to be more mature for her age, the tardiness of her friend allowed some childish impatience to slip out. “She was the one who wanted to meet with us in the first place. Does she expect us to stand around that creepy scarecrow all day?”

“C-calm down, Momoko,” Makoto attempted to placate her. Although the frustration -- and disquietude -- were understandable. She glanced off to the side, seeing the object of their unease not too far away. It was composed of twigs and branches, taking on a humanoid shape. What appeared to be wings sprouted from it's back, and two large balls painted red made up something akin to eyes. Whoever made it was a mystery, but it gave the surrounding area an abnormal atmosphere.

It started ordinarily enough. The three idols of 765 Production were due for another event soon: something involving a Western video game being released. Unfortunately, the ideal candidate to take front and center for the event --Anna Mochizuki-- fell ill, and Mizuki volunteered to take her place. In order to better prepare themselves beyond their usual training, the poker faced girl proposed (in true Mizuki fashion) that they all meet for a ‘special mission’. Both of them were kept in the dark about the exact details, but regardless, they decided to meet up anyway. The last time they heard from her, she said she would be a little late to get there. Only now their friend had yet to show up.

The destination was some park. It sounded like a very ordinary place to gather, but once they arrived, they noticed not a single soul was around. Yet what caught their attention had nothing to do with the lack of people: it was the strange, winged effigy that stood solitary in the park. If this was where Mizuki wanted to meet, then the odd construct must have been the reason why.

“But really, it's been almost an hour already,” Momoko’s expression softened a bit, turning into one of concern. That girl had a penchant for doing things out of the ordinary, but she never did anything to make her friends worry on purpose. A faulty signal wouldn't slow her down either. “Don't tell me she got lost. I knew we should have just met at the station first.”

“Don't worry,” Makoto said, offering an encouraging smile. “Mizuki can't be far. Knowing her, she'll just come up out of the blue and--”

She stopped abruptly when she felt her phone vibrate. Immediately she turned it on, seeing one new message was received.

Momoko perked up. “Is it Mizuki-san!?”

“Woah, it is...” Makoto confirmed, opening up the message to read it fully. Hey eyes looked over it carefully, finding the whole thing a little... peculiar.

“So? Do we know where she is?” Momoko continued to ask.

“She said her phone died earlier, but that she's having it charge at a place called the _Ayakashi Cleaning Company_... Huh. I guess it's not far from here, according to her. She even gave us an address.”

While it should have wonderful to hear from Mizuki, Momoko noticed Makoto didn't look too relieved herself. “What's the matter?”

“Well...” she showed her phone to Momoko, pointing at the last line of the message.

 

_There is a big case going on here. Your help might be needed. Please come as soon as possible._

 

The young girl furrowed her brow at such a strange message. Of course, it was hard sometimes to decipher just what went on in Mizuki’s head. For all they knew, she just forgot to bring money or misplaced her passcase. It might not even be as serious as her wording implied. Although.... She couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to it.

“Give me a break...” Momoko said in frustration. “What does she even mean?”

Makoto couldn't provide an answer, but attempted to make another call to get concrete information. But just like previous attempts, no answer back. “Even though she messaged, it's still not getting through... geez. Momoko, can you try to call her?”

The young girl did as suggested, but still no success in reaching their friend. “No good...

S-she has the directions for us, right? Let's just get going and find her. We can finally leave that dumb thing behind.”

Although she tried to hide it, the worry in Momoko’s voice was easy to pick up. Whatever was going on, the sooner they meet up with Mizuki the better. Getting away from the strange model would definitely be an additional bonus. Makoto quickly composed a message to her, asking if she was alright and that they were on the way. In spite of bad signal, hopefully she'd end up receiving it quickly. As she walked away, she couldn't help but shudder, as if she could feel the effigy stare back at her with those red, lifeless eyes. She immediately dismissed it, instead putting her energies into finding their friend.

“Mizuki... just what have you gotten into?”

 

* * *

 

“‘Are you a generous lover?’...” Amehiko read aloud. “I'd... like to think I am.”

“Then, you are,” Mizuki calmly affirmed, nodding in an almost sage like manner.

“Amehiko-san, just what are you reading?” Sora asked dubiously. Although Chris’ laptop was unavailable, it didn't stop his unit leader from further exploring the internet. Now he was borrowing Koume’s phone for that purpose, something she didn't mind at all despite the risks already present (better than his phone though). But for now, he didn't seem to have much trouble navigating the handheld device.

“Makabe told me about this self-quiz I could take online. So I decided to take a crack at it,” he answered, showing him a quiz on Buzzfeed titled _Which Backstreet Boy Are You?_ Did he even know who the Backstreet Boys were?

“Say, Kitamura. Do _you_ think I'm a generous lover?”

“Huh!?” Sora was genuinely caught off guard by the outlandish question. “H-how would I even know that?”

A sly grin crept up on Amehiko’s face. “Want to find out for sure then?”

The young man couldn't say a word, only producing a small grumble as he glanced away while a small blush colored on his cheeks.

“Just joking.”

Sora just let out a heavy sigh. As idiotic as that quiz was, he couldn't think of anything else better for Amehiko to do. _Country Roads_ still played throughout the living room, everyone sitting around and doing their own thing. While waiting for her phone to charge some more, Mizuki was busy making a house of cards with Koume, Chris was busy sulking on the couch, and as for himself, Sora sat around doing absolutely nothing but simply wait. Wait for the song to finish looping and have the ‘mothman’ appear.

It was a simple calculation: it would take 3.8 hours for _Country Roads_ to play seventy six times. An hour and some odd minutes had passed after their brief venture to find ‘IT’, but that still left them with at least two and a half hours until the real show started, and Sora wasn't afraid of admitting that the repetitive music was making him sick.

“Hey, Mizuki-chan,” he called out to her. Perhaps he could find better ways to pass the time, and talking to their newest guest seemed like a good option. “You said you had some friends who were coming over too, right?”

“That's right,” she said, carefully putting down a new card to the already impressive structure. She explained that they were all supposed to gather by some effigy erected in the mothman’s image. But with the mothman’s meddling so close to them, she figured it would be better for her friends to come to them instead. “It appears they've made several attempts to contact me, and find out where I am. So I messaged them to come here and assist us.” She then turned herself towards Amehiko. “I hope it isn't a bother to have more guests come by.”

“Heh, not at all,” the cleaner dismissed. “The extra company might help lift Koron’s spirits. Right, Koron?”

The only answer he got back was a small, drawn out groan, causing Koume to pause her stacking efforts and giggle. “Ehehe... Chris-san... sounds like a zombie....”

“Besides,” Amehiko continued. “It would be interesting to meet more idols like ourselves.”

“That's true,” Sora said in agreement. It was surprising to find out that this girl was one herself. No wonder she looked familiar. The world of idols proved to be quite expansive, alright. “Come to think of it, I must have seen you on a poster once. You're a part of 765 Production’s Million Stars, right? You guys are really impressive.”

“Thank you,” Mizuki said humbly. Their card house was now four stories, and she boldly continued to make it higher as she spoke. “I must say however... I myself need much improvement.”

Right after she finished that sentence, the house of cards buckled under the newest addition, quickly toppling over into a messy pile as the two girls sighed in disappointment. “That's right,” Mizuki continued, staring at the collapsed card house. “It hasn't been that long since I became an idol. To find the perfect image, there's still much to go through until I reach it.”

“I understand, Mizuki-chan...” Koume said encouragingly. “Me too... I still need to find it... So that's why, I can't give up.”

“Koume’s got it,” Amehiko added confidently. They may have just crossed paths, but it didn't take long for him to get a sense of Mizuki: underneath her cold exterior, there was more than meets the eye. A shadow of doubt, yet the willingness to move forward with her goals; a spark that dominated the darkness buried in her heart. Her words alone hinted at this too: the desire to follow the path to where she wanted to be.

“You two are still young, so don't worry so much,” he kept talking, giving Koume her phone back. The final result on his quiz was displayed: he got Howie Dorough. He then proceeded to help them clean up the cards on the table. “Kitamura stresses his head off over these things too, even if he doesn't admit it.”

“Hey now...” Sora sounded a bit peeved. “But, he's not wrong, necessarily. To be who I am... Just when I think I get there, I find I’m still searching for it. I have to remind myself sometimes that I have much to learn until I truly reach it.”

“Hold on, I got plenty to learn too, despite my age,” Amehiko added in. He neatly stacked the deck of cards himself, then gave it to Mizuki before resuming. “But I don't think the search for the ideal self is one, singular journey. I believe it's made up of multiple journeys. Multiple points where we improve, and are guided down other roads to improve anew. But eventually, each step we take leads us closer to the ‘self' we strive for.”

“Ooooooooh!” Although it didn't sound as intense, Mizuki was in awe at his words, even giving a round of applause. “Incredible, Kuzunoha-san!”

“Mm...” Koume said in agreement, equally moved. “It really is....”

“Woah there,” Sora said, chuckling. “We all just met a while ago, but we headed into some serious talk here~ Still, that's Amehiko-san alright. Always having something wise to say~”

“Heh. You truly value my wisdom?” Amehiko asked in amusement. “Guess I'm worthy of being a ‘thot’ after all.”

“Please don't push it....” the poet said as politely as possible. “Moving that aside... now what will we do?” He looked at his phone’s clock, discovering that they barely scratched 40 minutes since they came back to Amehiko’s place. Still plenty of time until the mothman showed up. “Mizuki-chan, do you know if your friends are nearby?”

The stoic girl walked to the corner where her phone was, and checked. But a shake of her head told him no. “Strange... it's been 30 minutes since I sent one of them a message. Knowing them, they should have replied back by now.”

“Well... that's two things we’re waiting for then. Has to be something else we can spend our time on, and we can't have Chris-san be a lifeless husk here either.”

“...Do not worry about me, Sora.”

He looked over to the downtrodden man, his haggard expression too unsettling. Hearing Chris say something after being so quiet earlier gave Sora some relief. But he wasn't used to seeing their friend be like this. The worry over his laptop had seriously drained him.

“Look who decides to finally join us,” Amehiko playfully quipped. “You missed out on some fine discussion, Koron.”

“No, I heard the conversation, and your philosophy is sound... I apologize for not partaking. Right now my mind is lost in a stormy sea... you can just leave me be....”

“That's surprisingly poetic, but it's going to be hard ignoring you when you're so glum~” Sora said to him. “Come on, sitting around like that isn't gonna make time go faster. Let's do something together to get the stress off your mind.”

“I appreciate the gesture...” Chris acknowledged. He didn't seem quite as enthusiastic, however. “But, I am not sure anything can offer me solace right now....”

Sora frowned at his continuing despair. “There has to be something.....”

Everyone sat in silence, attempting to figure out a decent answer. Surely they could think of an activity to get Chris out of the gutter. However, it wasn't long until Koume decided to speak up, with what appeared to be excitement on her face. “Ah...! I-I think I have an idea....”

“Do you? Lay it on us, Koume,” Amehiko said.

“Chris-san right now... As he is.... Maybe we can do... _that._ Like what we did before in the past....”

“Ah, _that_!” Her uncle seemed to know what she was referring to. “It's been awhile, but sounds like fun! Should be better with plenty of people with us.”

“Um, excuse me,” Mizuki raised her hand, looking a little puzzled by what they could be referring to. “What does _that_ involve?”

Both Amehiko and Koume gave her a somewhat ominous smile, the former ready to explain the details. “You see, it goes like this....”

 

* * *

 

“I-is this the place?” Momoko asked.

Makoto looked at the address once again to make sure, but she was positive. If they needed more of a hint, the sign that said _Ayakashi Cleaning Company_ provided one. “No doubt about it....”

Although they quickly got away from the bizarre effigy, getting here wasn't as fast or simple. The lack of a signal meant getting directions from their phones were almost impossible. Instead, the two idols spent a good amount of time asking for directions, and then some more time wandering around until they stopped by an unassuming office building. It seemed like their signal returned to full bars once they got here, strangely enough. Seizing this opportunity, both made attempts to give Mizuki another call. Yet no response came from her still.

“Good grief,” Momoko groaned. “She's still not picking up? What's up with her?”

“Um... maybe we should just go inside?” Makoto suggested. Although the sporty girl didn't sound so enthusiastic. The entire building looked average, just like any you would find around town. It wasn't the appearance that gave her issues however. The silence from Mizuki had put them both of them slightly on edge. Why wait out in a place like this? Something like a cafe would have been better. It was simple to just prop it up to that girl’s quirkiness, but no one could be 100% certain.

“Ok... open the door then,” the younger idol said. She didn't sound so sure of herself either.

“A-alright, I'm going...”

Makoto hesitantly reached out her hand towards the door. She gulped, readying herself for whatever awaited them inside before she grabbed onto the handle. But before her fingers could make contact with it, the door suddenly swung open, causing Makoto to jump back. Through the doorway, they saw a peculiar woman standing there, dressed in traditional attire, looking at the two girls curiously.

“Can I help you?” She asked them. “I noticed you've been standing out there for some time now.”

Makoto blinked in surprise. Eeh? Really?”

“I could clearly see you out the window.”

“Oh! Right... Sorry to bother you,” Makoto said awkwardly, bowing her head, and her young companion followed suit. The woman waited patiently as Makoto tried to gather her words. “So, a friend of ours said she was waiting here. And we're here to see her.”

“Is she still here?” Momoko asked in turn, eager to find out for sure.

“Ah, you must be the two that girl was waiting for,” the older woman said with a nod. “She's just upstairs with the others.”

 _“Others?_ ” The girls wondered what she meant by that.

“Yeah...” Makoto trailed off. “Could we go see her?”

The mysterious lady stepped back and stretched her hand out, inviting them into the office. “Come right inside.”

Both of them silently nodded, and went inside as prompted. The silence persisted as they were lead to some stairs. The interior was well kept and clean (would make sense if they were a cleaning company). But that didn't provide any comfort for the growing unease in Makoto’s stomach. She glanced back to Momoko, the apprehension on her face all too noticeable.

“ _Easy, Makoto,”_ she tried to encourage herself. Jumping to conclusions never helped things. She knew that all too well. In a couple moments, they'd see Mizuki and find her to be safe and sound.

Once they reach the top of the stairs, a strange noise suddenly dispelled any attempts of reassurance. It sounded like music, echoing down the hall in one of the rooms, sending a chill down Makoto’s spine.

“ _...they're getting closer...!”_

Instantly, Makoto stopped in her tracks, hearing a voice among the music. It sounded like a man’s voice. Momoko also picked it up, her mouth gaping open at the distress and fear the tone carried.

“W-who is that?” She asked pressingly. The woman in front of them turned towards them, an off-putting smirk spread over her face.

“My, my... it seems they're still at it.”

Before anyone could ask who _they_ might be, another voice could be heard. This time all too familiar.

“ _No... someone save me!”_

Both Makoto and Momoko’s eyes widened, hearts stricken with shock and panic as the voice was clearly unmistakable.

“Mizuki!” Makoto cried out. She rushed past their guide, with Momoko following closely behind, and reached the end of the hall. Without hesitation, she turned the knob of the door, and slammed it wide open.

The room was dark, almost hard to see anything except for traces of light escaping from cracks in the curtains. The music was as clear as ever, although the source couldn't be determined. Makoto’s eyes quickly darted around the room, Momoko peeking behind her in fright. Soon their eyes locked onto two people huddled in a corner: one man, and a teenage girl they knew all too well.

“Mizuki-san!” Momoko exclaimed in relief, going closer to her. “What's wrong!? We heard you call for help!”

Instead of a straight answer, she stretched out a finger and pointed behind them. Before they could turn around, a collection of eerie groans rumbled over the music. Slowly, Makoto and Momoko turned around, the terror within them building to new heights. And once they fully turned, they got a glimpse of what produced such a horrifying sound.

Right there, three shadowy figures stood. The darkness of the room obscured their features, but they could make out silhouettes. One was small in stature, but was flanked by two taller beings. They all had their hands raised, bodies swaying aimlessly, yet they lurched slowly towards them, a soft voice letting out one, cohesive word:

“ _BRAAAAAAINS....”_

“Z-ZOMBIES!” Makoto and Momoko screamed in unison, holding each other close. There wasn't any room to think critically about the situation; the idea of the undead was usually saved for fiction, but at the moment it seemed all too real. While fear paralyzed her whole body, Makoto’s fight-or-flight response kicked in. She considered briefly to dash out of the room, but that would leave Mizuki and the others to their fate.

No, there was only one thing to do. Forming a fist, Makoto stared down the zombie closest to them -- the one with long hair. She moved Momoko behind her, and wound her fist back, taking on a fighting stance. No matter what, she would defend her friends!

“S-STAY AWAY FROM US!” She shouted with all her might, launching her fist straight at the zombie’s face. The impact sent it crashing to floor, a loud moan signaling it's defeat. The triumphant idol breathed heavily from her attack, but a new shock came when suddenly the lights turned on.

“Oh dear...” a voice said.

Makoto’s head jerked to the door, seeing the woman from before was responsible. The intensity of the moment instantly died, and she slowly turned around towards the room. Contrary to the belief that a zombie attack was going on, everything was quite still. In the light, she could clearly see Momoko had taken up a defensive stance in front of Mizuki, arms up in an attempt to shield her. But it didn’t look like she needed any saving after all.

The man next to her (whose hair was a noticeable black and white) stood up slowly, appearing stunned. Makoto switched her view to the ‘zombies’ to find they weren't zombies at all. One was a little girl, and the other a notably tall man. Both of them looked at the same thing: the person with long hair that got knocked to the floor.

“Whoa, Koron?” the tall one called out to them. “You okay?”

The little girl walked towards him and crouched down, poking him for a response. “...Uh-oh... h-he's out cold....”

The newly arrived idols stared at them in astonishment, the consequence of Makoto’s actions only starting to catch up to her. “A-ah! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!” She said in a panic, rushing over to make sure she didn't cause too much harm to the man.

“Ah. Kikuchi-san, Suou-san. Nice timing,” Mizuki said to them, unfazed by the current situation.

“M-Mizuki-san!” Momoko exasperated. “What's going on here!?”

“As you can see, we were playing zombie survival. It was my turn to play one of the survivor this time, and last round I was a zombie while Shirasaka-san was--”

“Wait...” The young girl interrupted. “You mean to tell us... you were all _playing_ pretend?”

“Yeah,” Mizuki and her other ‘playmates’ said in universal confirmation.

With the music still playing, no one said anything further. The tall man motioned the shorter man to aid him in carrying the unconscious one and sit him on the couch. Overwhelmed with disbelief, Makoto yelled out the only thing that made sense.

“Geez! Can someone just tell me what's happening right now!?”


End file.
